Hi lovelies,
it's actually hailing right now outside
So hopefully you can't hear that!
(I don't know if you can or not)
So, a lot of people have asked me:
"Are you deaf or are you hard of hearing?"
"What?"
I understand
My voice is very... precise.
Because I can't hear myself
I don't know whether I'm slurring or not
Hopefully I'm not slurring!
Because I spend a lot of time trying to pronounce things properly!
But I actually don't know the difference between
deaf and hard of hearing
When I was a baby I could really hear very well
I had a lot of problems when I was little
And then I had an operation on my ears
My mother remembers reading to me;
As we were sat in the waiting room, she was reading Winnie the Pooh
Good book
Good. Book.
AND SHE HAS TO REALLY YELL
SO I'LL KNOW WHATS GOING ON
*coughs*
Actually hurt my own voice there
Then, later on, I came out of the operation
And she could read to me like a normal person
without needing to scream
So, I had two or maybe three operations
And that meant that for 10 years I could hear pretty well
It wasn't perfect but it was really good
So I memorised the entire Spice Girls back catalogue
Oh yeah, I can do the moves
*there is no music here*
*it's all in my head*
So that was fine.
A cope-able, okay level...
of pretty deaf
But then I got to 15, and things changed
But I didn't notice
Because, when you're going deaf, it's really...
sloooooooow
So I thought I just couldn't focus
"I can't pay attention to what my teachers are telling me in class"
And I'd sit at the front
- like a little goody two shoes!
But I still couldn't take it in
And even with all of my friends, when we were in a group
Everyone is talking!
And I have no clue what's going on!
I'm pretending: "yeah, yeah, totally..."
"I'm part of this conversation!"
but no, I've got no clue
Which is exceptionally isolating
But then I went to University and I realised...
No matter how hard you try, you cannot cope
If you're deaf but you haven't got hearing aids
Or you haven't got an interpreter
Or you haven't got a speech to text thingy
You're in a completely new environment
And that makes you realise things
So then I got my hearing aids, which are brilliant
I'm not actually wearing them right now because the hail was really annoying me!
At university I got help
I had an interpreter: Ruthanne
Who is the best!
and she still works with me now!
Which I coul probably make a video about:
"How on Earth do you present TV when you can't hear things?"
"Hi, here's a question"
*please don't respond*
"awesome"
"Don't ask me anything"
Yah, it's not actually like that...
I am actually a bit better at my job!
So, there was also a time in my life when I went on a lot of first dates
First dates, people, always firsts
It is hard to do when you cannot hear what the other person is saying!
So, I was dating people that I had met online
And there is always that awkward thing:
When do you tell them that you can't actually hear?
I generally did as they arrived
smooth
I know
Then I met Claudia...
And she doesn't care about my hearing
it's just never a problem for her
We cope
And well!
So, back to the matter at hand:
deaf or hard of hearing
So, I know that there are three categories...
Deaf with a big 'D'
deaf with a small 'd'
and hard of hearing
Which am I?
Well, Deaf with a big 'D'...
That's deaf culture and society
That's different to me- I work in a hearing world
My friends are all hearing
My family are hearing
So, I Googled- because that's the answer to all life's problems
Obviously
And deaf with a small 'd' is more like...
profoundly deaf
that's really far on that scale
'hard of hearing' can be from quite mild hearing loss all the way to quite severe
The problem is that Hearing people
if you say 'hard of hearing' to them
what they hear is 'old person deaf'
"JUST YELL A LITTLE BIT AND THEY'LL KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON"
That is not the case!
No
So, 'deaf' for them is a cover-all- it means anyone with hearing loss
But, in the deaf world...
if you live in a Hearing world then you're 'hard of hearing'
So, which....?
Neither of them really feels right for me
Because, with 'deaf'... I don't want to step on anyone's toes!
But 'hard of hearing' implies a much smaller problem, in the hearing world at least!
I think I should say 'deafened'
Because that's me, right?
'Hearing' in the past. Now? Not so much!
That is the long-winded answer to that question!
*Theme Music Plays*